Effect of covid-19 virus on reducing GHG emission and increasing energy generated by renewable energy sources: a brief study in Malaysian context

Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) has globally affected the human mortality rate and economic history of the modern world. According to the World Health Organization, COVID-19 has caused a severe threat to the health of the vulnerable groups, notably the elderly. There is still some disagreements regarding the source of the virus and its intermediate host. However, the spread of this disease has caused most countries to enforce strict curfew laws and close most industrial and recreational centres. This study aims to show the potential positive effects of COVID-19 on the environment and the increase of renewable energy generation in Malaysia. To prevent the spread of this disease, Malaysia enacted the Movement Control Order (MCO) law in March 2020. Implementation of this law led to a reduction in environmental pollution, especially air pollution, in this country. The greenhouse gases (GHG) emission , which was 8 Mt CO2 eq. from January 2020 to March 2020, reduced to <1 Mt CO2 eq. for April and May. The reduction of GHG emission and pollutant gases allowed more sunlight to reach photovoltaic panels, hence increasing the renewable energy generation

Synthesis and characterization of ZnO nanostructures using palm olein as biotemplate

Background: A green approach to synthesize nanomaterials using biotemplates has been subjected to intense research due to several advantages. Palm olein as a biotemplate offers the benefits of eco-friendliness, low-cost and scale-up for large scale production. Therefore, the effect of palm olein on morphology and surface properties of ZnO nanostructures were investigated. Results: The results indicate that palm olein as a biotemplate can be used to modify the shape and size of ZnO particles synthesized by hydrothermal method. Different morphology including flake-, flower- and three dimensional star-like structures were obtained. FTIR study indicated the reaction between carboxyl group of palm olein and zinc species had taken place. Specific surface area enhanced while no considerable change were observed in optical properties. Conclusion: Phase-pure ZnO particles were successfully synthesized using palm olein as soft biotemplating agent by hydrothermal method. The physico-chemical properties of the resulting ZnO particles can be tuned using the ratio of palm olein to Zn cation

Data for: Ca-Mg-Al ternary mixed oxides derived from layered double hydroxide for selective etherification of glycerol to short-chain polyglycerols

A magnesium (Mg) and aluminum (Al) layered double hydroxide (LDH) was used as a precursor in the preparation of calcium (Ca), Mg and Al ternary mixed oxides for selective conversion of glycerol into diglycerols via solvent-free glycerol etherification. The LDH-derived MgAl mixed oxide was saturated with an aqueous solution of Ca citrate complexes, followed by calcination at 700 °C, to obtain the Ca-MgAl mixed metal oxide (MMO) catalysts. The Ca-MgAl MMO series were characterized by a high Ca dispersion, high total basicity (236−482 µmol g-1), an enhanced amount of strong basic sites and a new mesoporosity. The highest diglycerols selectivity of 78.3 mol.% was achieved at a glycerol conversion of 40.4 mol% when the reaction was performed over the Ca-MgAl MMO catalyst synthesized with a 7.5 wt.% Ca loading level, at a 3 wt.% catalyst loading, 220 °C for 24 h. The formation of ternary mixed oxides improved the structural stability of the pristine MgAl mixed oxide. The catalytic performance of Ca-MgAl MMO was compared with that of commercial MgAl mixed oxides and homogeneous base (Na2CO3). The presence of strong basicity in the MMO catalysts was a key part in the selective synthesis of diglycerols

Data for: Ca-Mg-Al ternary mixed oxides derived from layered double hydroxide for selective etherification of glycerol to short-chain polyglycerols

A magnesium (Mg) and aluminum (Al) layered double hydroxide (LDH) was used as a precursor in the preparation of calcium (Ca), Mg and Al ternary mixed oxides for selective conversion of glycerol into diglycerols via solvent-free glycerol etherification. The LDH-derived MgAl mixed oxide was saturated with an aqueous solution of Ca citrate complexes, followed by calcination at 700 °C, to obtain the Ca-MgAl mixed metal oxide (MMO) catalysts. The Ca-MgAl MMO series were characterized by a high Ca dispersion, high total basicity (236−482 µmol g-1), an enhanced amount of strong basic sites and a new mesoporosity. The highest diglycerols selectivity of 78.3 mol.% was achieved at a glycerol conversion of 40.4 mol% when the reaction was performed over the Ca-MgAl MMO catalyst synthesized with a 7.5 wt.% Ca loading level, at a 3 wt.% catalyst loading, 220 °C for 24 h. The formation of ternary mixed oxides improved the structural stability of the pristine MgAl mixed oxide. The catalytic performance of Ca-MgAl MMO was compared with that of commercial MgAl mixed oxides and homogeneous base (Na2CO3). The presence of strong basicity in the MMO catalysts was a key part in the selective synthesis of diglycerols.THIS DATASET IS ARCHIVED AT DANS/EASY, BUT NOT ACCESSIBLE HERE. TO VIEW A LIST OF FILES AND ACCESS THE FILES IN THIS DATASET CLICK ON THE DOI-LINK ABOV

Tungstated Zirconia Catalysts for Liquid-Phase Beckmann Rearrangement of Cyclohexanone Oxime: Structure-Activity Relationship

The performance of tungstated zirconia catalysts with different tungsten loadings and calcination temperatures for liquid-phase Beckmann rearrangement of cyclohexanone oxime to ε-caprolactam was studied and the relation of their activity with the structure of tungsten species on zirconia surface was investigated. Cyclohexanone was the major product when zirconia was used as the catalyst while ε-caprolactam was formed in major amounts with tungstated zirconia. The relative amounts of these products depended on the W surface density, and the maximum selectivity to ε-caprolactam was observed at tungsten loadings near that required for the formation of a monolayer. UV−visible absorption edge energies suggested that the surface contains polytungstate species at these loadings. These polytungstate domains create Brønsted acid centers on the surface, as suggested by acidity measurements using NH3 adsorption microcalorimetry and FTIR of adsorbed pyridine, thereby making the tungstated zirconia catalysts active for the formation of ε-caprolactam

Producing Hydrogen-Rich Gases by Steam Reforming of Syngas Tar Over CaO/MgO/NiO Catalysts

The objective of this study was to develop nanosized CaO, MgO, and NiO catalysts for tar removal in biomass gasification, significantly enhancing the quality of the produced gases. Catalysts were tested in a fixed-bed reactor for biomass tar steam reforming. Toluene was chosen as a model syngas tar compound. For this purpose, pure Ca(OH)2, Mg(OH)2, and Ni(OH)2 precursors were successfully synthesized via a facile solvothermal method. Subsequent calcination of the metal hydroxide precursor at 450 °C resulted in nanosized CaO, MgO, and NiO. Different analytical techniques such as XRD, TEM, SEM, and BET were used to characterize the synthesized nanomaterials. Bulk NiO, CaO, and MgO nanomaterials and a physical mixture of CaO/MgO/NiO (equal NiO/CaO/MgO ratio) were used as catalysts for the steam gasification of toluene. Research showed higher toluene conversions, which resulted in increases in H2 yield as well as CO and CO2 selectivity. Mixed metal oxide CaO/MgO/NiO catalyst exhibited higher performance on toluene conversion, resulting in higher H2 yield and CO2 selectivity